a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to archery bows, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for casting an archery hand bow in a horizontal orientation, as opposed to the conventional vertical orientation.
b. Related Art
The historical relationship between the stringed stick and mankind is well documented. The discovery of the "Ice Man", frozen in time in the Italian-Austrian Alps with his cedar shafts and yew wood hand bow, accentuates the role that the bow and arrow has played in the colonization of our planet earth. Time has honored the hand bow with relatively few changes in the design and in the techniques that are used to practice the art.
The basic hand bow was formed of an elongated section of wood fashioned with a central handgrip, was tensioned end-to-end by a length of sinew or other string-like material. Modifications in the curvature and length of the riser and limbs have occurred over time and have given rise to more highly developed forms. These bows are generally referred to as "long bows" and "recurve bows".
More recent developments have employed cables, pulleys and eccentric wheels, in combination with composite materials, to enhance the power, speed, draw-weight, holding and shooting properties of bows, while reducing the overall dimensions of the assemblies. This has led to the creation of a new style of archery bow, termed, the "compound bow."
Yet another type of bow that has been developed is the "crossbow," which typically employs a compound type bow mounted to a firearm style butt/stock section. The butt/stock section includes a locking trigger mechanism for the purpose of mechanically holding the draw-weight of the bowstring at full draw, independent of the archer, until the triggering mechanism is operated. Crossbows are therefore "cock-and-shoot" devices that differ greatly from hand bows in which the drawn string is held by the archer's hand. While the present invention may be useful with respect to crossbows in some embodiments, it is directed primarily to use with hand bows and so the following description will focus primarily on the latter.
When using a hand bow, conventional methods call for casting the bow in a vertical or near vertical orientation. This follows time-honored practice, but is the source of several problems. For example, when vertically casting a hand bow, considerable forearm slap is exerted by the bowstring against the archer's grip arm. Not only is forearm slap painful to the archer, but it exerts detrimental torque and transfers destabilizing forces to the arrow, thus adversely effecting the accuracy and the speed of the arrow. Attempts to reduce forearm slap by moving the handgrip off centerline from the plane of the bow riser and limbs (e.g., by modifying the riser so that the grip is off-set to one side of the plane) result in the development of detrimental side torque forces during operation. Thus, in the absence of a satisfactory solution, archers are commonly forced to wear forearm protectors in order to reduce the effects of forearm slap and interference.
Additional disadvantages shared by conventional, vertically-cast hand bows include the following:
(a) There is considerable difficulty operating a hand bow while seated or lying down, and in high and low trajectories, due to bow length and limb interference with surrounding obstacles, such as the archer's body, the ground, a tree stand, tree branches, and so on. PA1 (b) The target must be acquired off-hand, due to the fact that the protruding limbs of a vertically held bow prohibit the use of a stabilizing rest to assist in steadying the bow for target acquisition and accuracy. PA1 (c) The vertical alignment of the wrist causes the forearm to rotate 90 degrees relative to the shoulder, increasing the tendency of the arm to bend at the elbow when the bow is drawn, and also increasing upper arm fatigue in use. This has the effect of reducing the maximum draw weight of a bow that can be used by an individual archer and/or the duration for which it can be used by the archer without having to rest. Furthermore, accuracy tends to deteriorate rapidly with increased fatigue of the grip arm, since the entire grip arm must be raised and lowered in fine increments in order to adjust the aim. PA1 (d) Accuracy further suffers because the vertically held handgrip rests against the soft, fleshly crotch of the hand, between the thumb and forefinger. The natural flexibility and "give" of the muscles and tendons in this area allow the bow to move or wobble slightly when drawn. Also, accuracy again tends to decrease with fatigue, as the muscles of the hand become tired and relax, tending to further soften the tissues against which the bow rests. PA1 (e) The archer's field of view is greatly reduced by the obstructions caused by the vertical bow riser and the accessories that are attached to the riser, such as the arrow rest, sight mount, and arrow quiver, all of which are generally mounted along the plane of the riser.
A number of prior attempts have been made at addressing one or more of the above problems, however, none has been successful in achieving more than a partial solution. For example, several types of "pistol grip" or "wrist rocket" type bows have been proposed, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,093 (Hamlett) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,853 (Larm). Both of these references show bows that employ a pistol grip mounted perpendicular to and below the plane of the bow riser and limbs. Although such grip positioning reduces the problem of a forearm slap and presents the bow in a generally horizontal orientation, the offset position of the grip causes this to transmit excessive side torque to the riser and limbs of the bow, to the extent that forearm protectors and pivoting grip interfaces are resorted to in an attempt to minimize and counteract this effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,968 (Hollingsworth) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,308 (Sheffield), in turn, describe bows having horizontal bow grips, positioned parallel to and below the plane of the riser and limbs. Like the pistol grip devices described above, this arrangement suffers from the development of extreme side torque loads, again causing de-stabilizing forces and forcing the use of forearm protectors and compensation structures. For example, the Sheffield bow employs a bowstring alignment shaft to assist in compensating for side torque during drawing of the bowstring; as soon as this string is released, however, the torque becomes unbalanced and adversely influences the launch of the arrow.
A great many other variations on bows, grips and handles are known in the art, including those shown in the following references: U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,874 (Mishioka), U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,595 (Hefforn), U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,000 (Torgerson), U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,014 (Darlington), U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,001 (Vyprachtichy), U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,361 (Vyprachtichy), U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,286 (Thacker), U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,796 (Dehlbom), U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,102 (Martin), U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,875 (Martin), U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,287 (Beddington), U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,621 (Scrobell), U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,368 (Geiger), U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,689 (Barnett), U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,100 (Rickard), U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,645 (Simonds), U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,284 (Pujos, et al) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,959 (Savage). All of these, however, suffer from the disadvantages of vertical bows and bows with offset/off center-line grips, as been described above.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an apparatus and method for gripping an archery hand bow that eliminates the forearm slap which is caused by the bowstring. Furthermore, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method in which the wrist is aligned in a horizontal orientation so as to obtain maximum benefit of the musculo-skeletal structure of the grip arm. Still further, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method that will place the bow in engagement with a firm, stable portion of the grip arm/hand so as to achieve maximum stabilization of the bow when drawn. Still further, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method which enables a hand bow to be operated from standing, seated and prone positions. Still further, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method which allows a stabilizing rest to be used to assist the archer in target acquisition and shot accuracy. Still further, there exists a need for such an apparatus and method which will minimize visual obstructions and will present the archer with improved field of view. Still further, there exists such a need for such an apparatus and method which will provide the archer with protection from being injured by a hunting broad-head as this is released and shot from the bow.